Yes, social media is a world of extremes. But, love it or hate it, one thing is clear: If social media isn’t a necessity for print and promo distributors, it’s darn close. And, if you put in the time and effort, it can be a real difference-maker for your business.

Time and effort, of course, are often the main obstacles holding us back from truly going all in on social media. Which is why we’re bringing you this guide. We asked six industry experts with proven track records of social media success to share their best tips for six major social platforms. We assembled these into a cheat sheet loaded with beginner tips and advanced strategy (and everything in between) for each channel.

It’s all the info you need, all in one place, so you can take the panic out of posting and be your best self online. Welcome to the second edition of our Ultimate Guide to Social Media. (When you're done, check out Volume 1 here!)

Facebook also offers powerful tools for businesses, including live chat and, most importantly, robust paid ad options. Gloria Lafont, president and owner of Action Marketing, a distributor marketing consultant based in Plantation, Florida, knows just how effective these tools can be. When one of her clients was opening a retail store, she helped set up a paid ad announcing the launch. The campaign was to run for a month after opening, to help build buzz and generate foot traffic. It didn’t even need a day.

“As soon as the ad started running, since [my client] was at the store working on getting everything ready, people started to go in and buy stuff,” said Lafont. “On the night of the first day, the lady emailed me asking to please shut the ad down. She had people coming in the store nonstop and had to call family members to come help, because her two staff was not enough.”

Such is the power of Facebook. Want to find similar success on the platform? Get started with this overview from Lafont.

The Basics: Facebook is a great platform for generating brand awareness and website traffic. There are a lot of businesspeople on the platform that are part of business groups, providing great connection and interaction opportunities. Groups are perfect places to answer questions and share helpful information, helping build expertise and authority and, with it, brand awareness and traffic to your site, as people will click on your links. Additionally, the biggest benefit and the way we use it for our clients is the ability to use their advertising platform to expand reach by placing targeted ads in multiple ways.

Understand that this is not a standalone solution. It’s a content distribution channel for the most part, so you need a strategy. Create content that communicates that you understand your clients’ needs, challenges and frustrations, and how you have the solutions. Create consistent-looking visuals that differentiate your business and help people recognize it. Do short videos to share tips, product ideas, etc. These types of posts are the most effective to expand your reach and generate engagement. Post consistently and frequently, and share the content you post on your business page on your personal page and in business groups.

Busting Myths: The two biggest misconceptions I hear are:

1. “My target audience is not on Facebook.” Your clients are marketing professionals and are involved in the management of their companies’ pages, so yes, they are on Facebook.

2. “Facebook is free.” While Facebook is free to set up your profile and use, the organic reach of business posts is very limited, so to get business results it’s necessary to use ads.

Advanced Tips: Facebook ads platform is an excellent place to reach your target audience and generate website traffic and leads. The platform offers different ways to promote your business, including promoting your posts, sponsored stories, retargeting ads to web visitors, uploading your email list to serve them ads, and creating new audiences using video ad views. Although it is not as inexpensive as it used to be (and despite the new privacy and tracking restrictions), Facebook continues to be a great advertising tool.

Building an Audience: Growing organically requires time and effort. You need to regularly invite your clients and business connections to follow your page, share your content on groups, answer as many questions as you can on those groups, follow your clients’ and prospects’ pages and comment on their posts regularly. These activities will slowly get followers. It can also be done faster using ads, but it requires an investment.

Increasing Engagement: Organic engagement on Facebook is not easy, because only a small percentage of your followers see your posts. That said, videos (whether posts, reels or stories), will get the most attention and engagement and exposure, because Facebook tends to show them more.

Business Versus Personal: The business account provides a set of features and functionality that the personal profile doesn’t provide. Depending on your goals and your strategy, as the face of the business, you might want to build your personal profile and, to take advantage of the business tools, convert your personal profile to a “Public Figure” profile within your Meta business account, and have a personal page set as private for your friends and close circle. One benefit of this is, for example, if you plan on doing videos, you can create an audience with the viewers to serve ads to later on. That said, keep in mind that, at the end of the day, we are all public figures.

Find Gloria at ActionMarketingCo on Facebook or at www.actionmarketingco.com.

Picker first joined LinkedIn in 2008, but didn’t start using it regularly until 2013. In 2017, he “fully dove in,” and hasn’t looked back since. He now says LinkedIn not only is his No. 1 platform for building his personal brand, but also has helped him land some of his biggest customers.

“This channel is great for anything you want to be known for career-wise, for both your personal and professional brand,” he says. “The organic traffic on LinkedIn is better than any other social media platform right now, with the exception of TikTok.”

With its origins as a professional networking platform, LinkedIn might seem like an obvious choice for print and promo professionals, especially salespeople looking to build client relationships and find new prospects. And it is. But it offers far more than that for anyone willing to put in the work.

“[It’s not] just a glorified résumé,” Picker says. “It is now a full-on professional social media platform, with amazing reach and your future client waiting for you to share how you can help them.”

Follow these tips from Picker and become a LinkedIn power- user in no time.

Getting Started:

1. Add a picture. No one will trust you if they don’t know you.

2. Add a background header photo. Share how you help people or what you focus on.

3. Fill out the about section and what you do at your day job. Don’t just keep your title “CEO” or “account manager.” Instead, tell people what you do, who you help and how you help them.

4. Upload your contact list and connect with your contacts (aka your rolodex). Most likely only a fraction of people will accept, but it will give you a good start.

5. Don’t spam people with sales asks. People are tired of being sold to without you getting to know them. When you connect with new people, just tell them the type of content you plan on sharing on LinkedIn and hope you can provide them value.

Advanced Tips:

1. Turn on “Creator Mode.” This will set you up to be the thought leader you know you can be! It also allows you to do a video introduction that allows people to get to know you before they even interact with you. Put yourself out there!

2. Add hashtags about topics you plan on sharing about on LinkedIn in your profile section. This is another place to let people know what you are about. Hopefully, they will make it so people can discover your profile from the hashtag.

3. Use hashtags in your posts (between three and five) to help people discover your posts. Choose two or three that you use on every one of your posts that you want to be known for, and then use two to three that have to do with the actual content of the post.

4. Like and comment on other people’s posts, and support your community through valuable insights. Also, share great posts where you can include some added commentary to bring value to your audience.

Increasing Engagement: Share something that’s worth it for people to spend their time to engage with. Unlike the single-serving surface fame of other platforms, engagement is what you are going for on LinkedIn. Likes are good, but the more engagement you get, the wider the net goes. Your network’s network sees your post if you are getting engagement. Don’t post if it doesn’t have substance.

Make content that will stop the scroll. Pictures are great since our industry is full of visuals. It’s not necessary, but people like pictures. Make it easily viewable on mobile. And don’t just post something that is open ended. Share your opinion or ask a question that will get the audience to want to participate. Create a fun, engaging poll to get seen by more of your network and beyond.

Business Versus Personal: This is a big one. Don’t expect too much from your business profile on LinkedIn. People want to engage with people, not businesses. So this is where the people on your team and in leadership need to lead the way. Everyone in your company can lend their experience and expertise in all areas, which will bring visibility to your company. It also helps them build their personal voice. I have seen many leaders be selfish and try to dictate what their employees post, but this will backfire. Let their personality come through even it doesn’t suit your business voice. More views to them, more views to your company.

At the end of the day, just be authentic and stop being sales-y. People are tired of being spammed and sold to. LinkedIn is a place to build rapport, get public social proof and network with other businesses and businesspeople. The bigger your network is without pushing the hard ask, the more people will be receptive when you do ask. Just be strategic with your ask, because you might only get one chance. We all need to bring in sales, but leave the hard selling to your sales reps! Keep LinkedIn a site for building brand.

Find Jeremy at @jwpicker on LinkedIn or Twitter.

TikTok is also the youngest app by average user age, which can make it kind of intimidating, especially for anyone looking to use the platform for business. But while it may be known for Gen Z in-jokes and viral dance moves, TikTok offers much more than that for anyone brave enough to give it an honest try.

“People think it’s just a platform where kids are dancing to music (and yes, that was the case originally), but TikTok has grown to videos and audiences of all ages and types,” says Javier Melendez, national sales manager for Walker-Clay Inc., a distributor based in Hanson, Massachusetts. “There are many examples of accounts you would not think would have traction at all, like the Sacramento History Museum (@sachistorymuseum), which has 2 million followers. Businesses and entrepreneurs have grown significantly because of TikTok and the ease of use/visibility into their lives/businesses.”

Melendez would know. He started using TikTok in January 2020, mostly creating funny videos incorporating aspects of both his personal and professional life, including situations faced by promo distributors and education for clients. Two years later, his posts have racked up 40,000 combined likes and hundreds of thousands of views, and he’s become the promo industry’s leading authority on all things TikTok. Here, he takes us through the platform.

The Basics: TikTok is a great platform if you want to stretch your creative muscle. It allows you to be more personable and brands to have more fun with their marketing. Any video has the potential of “going viral.” Short-form video has exploded in popularity, with other platforms copying the TikTok format (i.e., Instagram reels and YouTube Shorts). TikTok is not for the hard sellers. People will not watch your videos if it’s “hey, here’s why you should buy my product.” Also, it’s not the place for most companies if you are not willing to experiment, play and try new things. People will interact more with fun and engaging brands than with someone reading a script to a camera on their laptop.

Getting Started: First, I recommend spending a little time interacting with the platform and checking out videos in trends or hashtags that interest you. Then, when you have some ideas, start creating. It can feel awkward or weird at first, but the more you do it, the stronger you feel in your ability. Also, if you use TikTok for a brand, your page should have an identity (a mascot or a certain person) that users can relate to and build community with.

Advanced Tips: Consider what content you are posting and who your target demographic is. Also, post your TikTok videos on other platforms. Don’t forget to use trending sounds and hashtags. Lastly, make sure you are interacting (liking, commenting) on other videos and tagging other creators if you are making a video based on theirs. TikTok algorithms reward engagement with the platform, not just users scrolling.

Increasing Engagement: On TikTok, the best engagement is comments. However, people treat their likes almost like digital currency—people don’t always hand them out to every video. If it’s a good video, someone will like it, but if you have a good mix of comments and likes or shares on your video, the algorithm will promote it to more viewers. Videos that encourage comments with questions or videos that educate people on something seem to have the best engagement (and by educating I don’t mean on something very technical to your industry, but more so a how it’s made, for example).

Business Versus Personal: For a business account, you need to be more mindful about the sounds you use, what trends you can/should jump on and how it could be reflective of your brand. Also, unless your brand is very well known, you should have a mascot or point person be a “face” for your account so that people associate a personality with your brand. For your personal brand, I always encourage being authentic when you post. People buy from people they know and like. 

Keep in Mind: If you’re going to post on TikTok, or any platform, don’t get discouraged by low views/engagement. Sometimes your message might not resonate on TikTok, but has thousands of views on LinkedIn (that happens to me often). Try different things, experiment a little and, most importantly, have fun with it.

Find Javier on TikTok at @javisdaman.

“If you want to share visual insight into your life and business, and create brand (personal or business) recognition or credibility, it’s probably the right platform,” says Taylor Borst, director of marketing, events and public relations for American Solutions for Business, Glenwood, Minnesota. “Do you have the skill set and are you willing to prioritize investing in this content? Successful accounts often stick with a consistent output of quality content. Is your sales demographic on Instagram? It’s important to know where your audience is so that you can meet them where they are. If you find that most of your customers use this platform, that’s where you should build a presence.”

Borst, whose prolific content-creation and authentic online presence have made her one of print and promo’s most recognizable and influential voices, counts social media as a primary tool for staying connected to the industry and building a personal brand. Here, she shares her Instagram expertise.

The Basics: Start by following people who create the content style you aspire to make. You’ll quickly see what creates the most engagement, looks the best and, most importantly, what resonates with you. Then, just start posting and be patient with yourself. Your first several posts will likely not get much traction, and that’s OK. Give yourself time to build your audience and calibrate your personal style.

Advanced Tips: Post more stories. This will prioritize you in the algorithm and help you gain more visibility with your followers. Plus, it adds more transparency into your daily life. If you treat your main grid as your “highlights,” consider your stories more of a “behind-the-scenes” feed with more day-to-day casual content. It’s also helpful to create additional engagement within those stories with added features like polls, links and questions. Bonus: If you feel like it’s tough to find time, try batching your content creation and releasing it throughout the week/month.

This is the perfect platform for micro influencers. It’s really fun to weave together work-plus-lifestyle so that, even if I’m featuring promo products, it’s camouflaged as a lifestyle post with elements of interest or entertainment. I also like to post my TikTok videos into my Instagram stories to help diversify content and increase exposure.

It’s a misconception that you need perfect content for Instagram. Don’t get me wrong, high quality is still important. Pay attention to lighting, angle, composition and messaging, but don’t get too hung up on it being the “perfect” photo or video.

Building an Audience: Start following more people in your network and those within the same niche. You can also follow specific hashtags, which introduces you to additional accounts within your interest groups. Also, be sure to include your Instagram handle/link on your other social platforms and in your email signature, business cards and any other marketing collateral you share.
 
Increasing Engagement: Content with your face in it will always get more engagement. Don’t post the photo of your new favorite drinkware—post a selfie of you holding the drinkware. This helps your audience build a closer relationship with you and subtly strengthens your credibility as a subject matter expert. Also, don’t forget to engage with other people’s posts, stories and reels. Comment, like and direct message people to create stronger online connections while simultaneously boosting your own algorithm exposure.
 
Business Versus Personal: If you choose to create a “business Instagram,” be sure that you’re still incorporating “you.” There’s nothing more boring than a business Instagram account with no personal touch. Keep the personality. Our business thrives when customers and colleagues have insight into who we are. Inversely, from the outside, our industry is pretty confusing, so when our friends and family get insight into what we do for a living, it also helps them understand us better. If you better communicate your career, you may find many of your personal connections come to you for their promotional needs or become your best referral to someone they know.

Find Taylor on Instagram at @taylor.borst or follow American Solutions for Business at @americansolutionsforbusiness.

“YouTube is effective because it is easy to use, widely known and free,” says Nick Lateur, director of national accounts, specialty brands, for HPG, Braintree, Massachusetts. “Even if you don’t intend to be a ‘YouTuber,’ you can build a following and store all of your videos in one place if you have the right approach. Tagging videos with keywords and the right content will help your target audience find you. In short, it has a very low barrier to entry.”

Lateur says video has been a “crucial tool for engagement and relationship-building” over his seven-year promo career. He began using it in 2019, creating sales and training videos on YouTube. These included “Mondays With Nick,” a self-marketing series he cross-posted to LinkedIn and other channels, which has racked up impressive engagement numbers and helped Lateur stay in front of customers while growing his personal brand. Here, Lateur shares his video knowledge.

The Basics: Because YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, your competition is often lumped into the same search results that you are. So it is important to have compelling and unique content. Otherwise, your competitors could actually benefit from your video. Solution: Be different. Also, people often think they need to be funny and well-spoken or have fancy editing skills to be effective on YouTube. This is not the case. Authenticity and mastery of subject matter eliminate the need for high production value or acting ability. Be yourself, have a focus and show off your expertise.

The biggest tip when starting a YouTube channel is to have a vision. If the purpose is clear, you can build an audience quickly and efficiently, and viewers are more likely to subscribe, share and trust you. Figure out your audience and create the channel with that audience in mind. One tip is to research YouTube for videos in the same category or focus as your channel to get ideas and to gain a feel for market/audience size.

Advanced Tips: Content is king, but attracting new viewers and subscribers is the most important thing. A big tip (that may seem obvious) for improving your channel is creating an attractive thumbnail image and video title. Think of it as a product storyboard you are sending to a client. It must have clear intent and give the recipient the right information. If the title and the video thumbnail are appealing, you will get bites. Tip: Define the target audience in the title and have a tinge of mystery or intrigue (for example: “5 Reasons Promotional Products Changed My Life”).

Building an Audience: This is the biggest hurdle for any marketer or content creator. It is the absolute hardest thing to do. A grassroots campaign can actually be extremely effective here. After creating content, utilize other marketing outlets to share your content. Share on Facebook, TikTok, blogs, forums, etc. Tell people about your channel and ask them to check it out and subscribe. It only takes one special viewer or opportunity to start building exponential growth.

Increasing Engagement: After you have hooked the viewer with your great thumbnail and video title, you need to hold the viewer’s attention. Try to keep your videos short and focused while maintaining authentic energy. Talk directly to your audience when producing your video. The more real you are, the more people will want to engage with you.

Business Versus Personal: This usually comes down to advertising versus entertainment. Many businesses use YouTube as a PR or sales platform. Building a personal brand is really building a relationship, and the content reflects a more personal and intimate look at the producer.

Find Nick on YouTube at @mondayswithnick or on LinkedIn @nicklateur.

“What does that mean? Your audience on Twitter is likely to be interested in new (to them) products, services, trends, etc.,” says the team at Maple Ridge Farms, the Mosinee, Wisconsin-based promo supplier whose social media prowess earned it a spot in PPAI’s most recent #Online18 ranking of the industry’s top online influencers. “While it’s crucial to build relationships and develop trust, Twitter users are likely to be interested in what you have to offer—if you find your audience on the platform.”

Get the most out of Twitter with these tips from the Maple Ridge team.

The Basics: If you’re new to Twitter, take time to plan before you move forward. Think about what you want out of this platform (and be as specific as possible), so you can make the most of your efforts. Spend time creating your profile, so people can quickly learn more about you and connect with you. Your profile is your first impression to most people you meet on the platform, so think about what you want them to know. Spending time on outreach and growing your community isn’t going to deliver nearly as many results if you don’t start with a good base—your profile.

Twitter is built for discussion, so join the conversation! Create lists in order to manage your community more effectively and maximize your engagement efforts. Respond to relevant conversations, and share other accounts’ tweets and content in addition to your own. Curating content from a variety of voices and viewpoints will attract new members to your community and increase engagement.

Advanced Tips: Explore the features of Twitter, so you can learn how to maximize your time and efforts on this platform. Struggling to connect with the right people and grow your audience? Step back and look at your profile. Have others take a look at it if you’re having a hard time being unbiased, to see if it can be polished. Set up and (continue to) manage lists, so you can maximize your engagement efforts. Spend more time listening and engaging with people than publishing content.

Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses. While we do repurpose content from platform to platform (making any necessary revisions along the way), we would not recommend linking your Twitter account to your LinkedIn account and auto publishing the same content in the same format at the same time to both platforms.

Building an Audience: Find where your audience resides on this platform and meet them there. Join the conversation during relevant Twitter chats and engage with connections outside of these times as well. What hashtags are popular with your community? Search them and join relevant conversations to make new connections and build relationships. Don’t jump into a conversation and immediately try to sell them something. That’s awkward and will turn people off. Instead, talk to people like you would offline and build relationships. Offer to help them or connect them to others if you can.

Increasing Engagement: If you want people to engage with you, engage with them. Spending time interacting with your community through lists and hashtag research is time well spent. People will usually check out your tweets and probably find them valuable if you’re engaging with the right people. Taking time to create an active, engaged community will pay off in the long run. Also, do your research and utilize hashtags wisely. Use one or two (three is the max on rare occasions) to increase your impressions and draw new eyes to your tweets and members to your community.

Business Versus Personal: Company or corporate accounts should still connect and engage with users on the platform while maintaining professionalism. Be accessible and bring a human touch to your company account that fits with your brand voice. Join relevant conversations and develop relationships with your audience. Personal users have more leeway with what they’re sharing, and we encourage our team to be themselves on their social media accounts.

Business professionals and small-business owners can utilize their personal accounts for business and still engage with their friends who aren’t connected to the business and share their personal hobbies/lives. While company accounts can show behind-the-scenes content and help you get to know their employees, it’s inappropriate for an admin to engage with personal friends or interests through the company account.

Find Maple Ridge Farms on Twitter @MapleRidgeFarms or online at www.mapleridge.com.